Disorderly Conduct
by Accusation
Summary: Jinx saves Beast Boy's life, and suddenly everyone thinks she's a hero. But is she?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Well, this is my first fic… Hope you enjoy. Anyway, I've been reading a lot of stories lately where Jinx wants to give up her life of crime and become a hero. It got me to thinking about what would happen if Jinx did something heroic accidentally. And this fic was born :D I'm not sure how long it's going to be, exactly, but definitely multi-chapter. And, haha, the title doesn't really have to do with the story... I just thought it sounded cool.**

**Please let me know what you think so far!**

— Disorderly Conduct—

_Sunset in Jump City! The streets are filled with city dwellers who hurry by, concerned only with their own lives—their jobs, husbands, wives, children…_

_Two teens stand apart from the rushing crowd. One is a laughing green-skinned boy who shows off for a group of children. He is periodically transforming into a shaggy dog, chasing his tail, and then reappearing to applause from the growing group of kids. The other is a girl who stands on the sidewalk across the street, letting the crowd part around her. She is staring at the green-skinned boy with a good-humored, somewhat mischievous expression on her face. Just as this girl begins to walk forward, a pink light crackling at her fingertips, another person enters her frame of vision._

_He's carrying a gun and pointing it at the boy across the street._

—

Jinx hadn't been having the best day. For starters, she'd woken up late, been tardy for her first class, and gotten reamed for it. The lecture lasted so long that she had subsequently been late for her _next_ class. Of course, Gizmo and Mammoth couldn't be counted on to back their friend up. They hunched over in their seats, snickering while Jinx was repeatedly told that there was more expected of someone with her talents.

The day had continued on like that—she'd forgotten an easy answer in Coercion and Deceit 102, misjudged the distance of a robot during training, and spilled spaghetti sauce all over her pants at lunch. After that, she'd had enough and skipped her last class of the day to change her clothes and have some fun.

See-More saw her leaving the building. "You're gonna be in deep trouble tomorrow," he warned, eyebrows raised in concern. As blasé as the kids at the HIVE were, the administration took cutting class seriously and the punishments were harsh.

"Save it," she told him shortly, letting the front doors swing shut behind her. See-More had been teasing her ever since second period, calling her Ms. Broken Mirror, and now he was going to be a good friend? Please.

Jinx spent the afternoon hanging out down at the mall. Ever since she and her buddies had attempted to rob it the year before, they'd been banned from the premises, but Jinx never let that stop her. She leaned back in her chair, sipping an iced latte and grinning as the security officers mingled nearby. No cop could take her on, and they wouldn't call the Titans unless she actually stole something. Instead they would glare from a safe distance, and that didn't bother her in the slightest.

She stayed at the mall until dinnertime and then started heading back to the HIVE. She ignored the crowd around her, and for the most part, they ignored her. People were too absorbed in their own lives to notice her walking by, and even those who did were more likely to shrug her off as another weird goth kid than the aspiring super villain who periodically appeared on the Jump City News.

Jinx wasn't going to cause any trouble. Honestly. If she hadn't heard Beast Boy's voice, she would have walked back to the HIVE and nothing would have changed. As it was, though, she caught the tail end of one of his sentences and cringed.

"… learn new tricks. Heh. Well, I thought it was funny."

Beast Boy was the most annoying of the Titans, to be sure. He gave Gizmo a run for his money. Jinx couldn't stand him. She paused and picked him out of the crowd. He was across the street, a group of snotty kids hanging around him, all grinning like he was the greatest. As Jinx watched, Beast Boy morphed into an ugly green and black spotted dog and chased his own tail. The kids all laughed and clapped appreciatively, calling for more. Beast Boy seemed to be enjoying all the attention.

Jinx sneered. What a _loser._ It was at that moment she knew she just couldn't walk away without causing any trouble. It was what she did best, after all. And the rest of the HIVE Five would be jealous they'd missed out on the fun, which they deserved for treating her like dirt all morning.

She began to walk toward the green-skinned creep, her fingers pulsing with a bright pink hex. She hadn't gone five steps when someone else caught her eye. A middle-aged man wearing a long, dirty brown coat was also moving toward Beast Boy. He badly needed a shave and Jinx frowned, thinking that something didn't seem right about the man's eyes. She looked at him more closely and saw that he was holding a gun; he was raising the gun, aiming the gun—at Beast Boy!

"Oh, no way," she hissed. "This is _my fight._"

Before she could think to do anything else, Jinx had flung the hex meant for Beast Boy at the unkempt man's hand. It hit him solidly, and the man yelled in shock as the gun he had been holding a moment before flew from his grasp and went skidding across the pavement. The bullet soared harmlessly into the air. Somebody screamed. The man, realizing that his cover was blown, began to run. Jinx went after him, years of combat training kicking in without a thought. She leapt onto the man's back and wrapped an arm around his neck, her free hand shooting several hex spells point-blank into the guy's face. They wouldn't harm him physically, but he would be pretty out of it for the next day or two.

"I've been having a _really_ bad day, and you picked the _wrong_ time to mess with my plans!" Jinx said triumphantly, giving the man another hex for good measure. She could hear sirens in the distance and stood up, finally noticing that everybody on the street was staring. "Oh, don't worry," she said flippantly, "I took care of him. He's not going anywhere." She grinned and turned back to Beast Boy, prepared to thoroughly kick his butt. This day wasn't ending up so bad after all.

The green boy was still surrounded by the group of kids, but they weren't laughing now. Their faces were pale and scared. Even Beast Boy looked frightened. "Jinx—?" he said, uncertainty in his voice.

Just then, a large red-haired woman grabbed Jinx in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, sweetie!" she sobbed, smashing Jinx's face into her chest. "You're a hero! If it hadn't been for you, I don't even want to think about what could have happened!"

"Um," Jinx managed to croak. The police had arrived and immediately went to Beast Boy, as they usually did when the Titans were involved in a crime. Before the teen could speak, though, the same woman who was hugging Jinx released her and shouted, "Over here, officers! This girl stopped the assassin! She saved Beast Boy!"

Beast Boy turned, shock evident on his face. "Jinx?" he said again. A small smile grew on his face. "_You_ saved me?"

Jinx wanted to die.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Thanks so much for the good reviews. They were really appreciated :3 And no, this story won't be BB/Jinx. If anything it'll be Cy/Jinx, but I'm not sure if I'll even have that. Anyway, I've decided on a weekly updating schedule… So if you like the story, check back once a week. This was a hard chapter to write. So many things just seem… awkward. Especially the Titans. I'm sorry, but if there's one person I can't write for the life of me, it's Robin. Anyway, hopefully the next chapter will be smoother. Enjoy!**

— Disorderly Conduct: Chapter 2—

The sun had set at least an hour ago, and the police were finally leaving. Once all of the commotion started, Jinx had wanted to slip away. There was no chance of fighting Beast Boy now, because he was surrounded by cops, and for another thing, she was starving. She just wanted to get back to school before they stopped serving dinner.

Beast Boy had stuck by her side, though, making escape impossible. She couldn't tell if he was doing it to make sure she didn't leave, or just to be friendly—because every time he looked at her, he grinned, and she got the feeling that it was a sincere grin. She didn't mind it when he stayed by her side during the time the police were questioning her. She had never _helped_ the police before in her life, and they seemed sort of suspicious, like maybe Jinx was involved in a more malicious way… but she didn't want to think about that. If there was one thing she wasn't in the mood for, it was a trip back to jail.

"So," Beast Boy said now, stretching his arms above his head. Long chats with police officers didn't seem to phase him. Jinx guessed he was used to it, whereas she was more used to being shoved into the back of a cruiser with her hands behind her back. "Have you left the HIVE, Jinx?"

"What? _No_, I haven't left the HIVE!" Jinx said, appalled at the thought.

"Jeez, if you wanted to turn to the side of good, you could have just said so," Beast Boy continued. "You didn't have to go around stalking me."

For once in her life, Jinx was speechless. "I… that's not…"

Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder, and it was all she could do not to shriek. This was getting way too weird. "I think I get what the problem is. If you leave the HIVE, they'll send cronies after you, right? Well," he said, not waiting for an answer, "I think I have a solution."

Jinx rolled her eyes. "Yeah? And what would that be?" She couldn't wait to hear what kind of plan Beast Boy had cooked up in his already half-baked brain. It probably involved some kind of weird disguise.

"You can come back to the Tower with me!" He grinned at her. "Nobody could get you there…"

Somehow, Jinx doubted that. For one thing, she had heard through the grapevine that several enemies of the Titans had broken into the tower through the years. For another, she and her friends had done it once before, and that was when there was only three of them.

Beast Boy mistook her silence for hesitation. "Come on, Jinx. I know everyone will want to thank you personally. I'm like, vital to the team and all. Besides, it's pizza night!"

Speaking of pizza, Jinx was hungry. Besides, she knew that when she went back to the HIVE she would be in deep trouble. She had skipped class and then saved one of the HIVE's worst enemies… Make that extremely deep trouble. She might as well live it up before she was sent to her doom.

"Okay," she said, "lead me to the pizza."

--

As Beast Boy entered the tower, Jinx heard a familiar voice call out, "Yo, BB! We were starting to get worried, man." She hung back, suddenly shy.

"What's your problem?" Beast Boy said, turning to her. "Come on, I'm starving!"

"Uh… I don't think this is such a good idea," Jinx hedged, taking a step back. Beast Boy rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm.

"I told you, it'll be fine. You're on our side now."

Jinx frowned, but allowed herself to be pulled into the tower. The two walked in the direction of clinking glasses, their stomachs growling as the smell of pizza reached them. Beast Boy strolled proudly into the kitchen a moment later, Jinx trailing behind him. To her surprise, none of the other Titans gave her a second glance. Not even Cyborg.

"Hey, we saw you on the news, BB. Way to go!" he said, grabbing Beast Boy in an affectionate headlock and then shoving him into a seat. "We got veggie pizza just for you, man."

"Awesome! But, listen, Jinx needs a place to stay," Beast Boy said, his mouth already full. "The HIVE is gonna be looking for her."

From her spot in the doorway, Jinx sighed. This was so weird. Why weren't they freaking out?

"You like pizza, Jinx?" Robin said, holding up a slice.

"Delicious!" Starfire exclaimed happily, to no one in particular.

Jinx didn't move. "Wait, wait," she said, holding up her hands. "Aren't you guys going to interrogate me, or lock me up, or _something_?"

Robin looked puzzled. "Well, we saw you on the news with Beast Boy, so we figured you'd left the HIVE. We thought you might show up here. We all want to thank you for saving BB."

It was all she could do not to sneer. Apparently, in the mind of a Titan, one good deed turned you into a righteous goody-goody. They were all so naïve. Except… couldn't Raven read minds or something? Why wasn't _she_ sending Jinx away? In fact, Raven seemed to be ignoring the situation entirely.

Jinx sat down next to Starfire and shrugged, figuring it better not to make waves. "Okay, whatever."

As she ate, half listening to Robin lecture to Beast Boy about being more aware of his surroundings, Jinx began to feel someone staring at her. She ignored the feeling for a few minutes, until it became too strong and she looked up. Starfire was staring at her, smiling. Jinx began to sweat. What was _wrong_ with these people?

"How glorious that you have amended your villainous ways and saved Beast Boy!" the girl said when she saw that Jinx had noticed her.

"Yeah, it rocks," Jinx deadpanned. From Starfire's reaction, Jinx gathered that Tameranians didn't use sarcasm much.

Cyborg stood up and yawned. "Well, I'm gonna head to my room. See y'all tomorrow." He left without a backward glance. Jinx frowned and ripped her napkin into long strips. What a jerk. He hadn't even acknowledged her!

Beast Boy inhaled one last pizza slice, belched, and then rubbed his stomach. "Yum. So, Jinx, wanna see your room?"

"Oh… I thought I'd just crash on the couch."

Beast Boy, Robin and Starfire laughed. "Are you kidding? Have you seen how big the tower is? We have like fifty extra rooms," Beast Boy cackled.

Beast Boy showed Jinx a small room with a plain bed and undecorated walls. "You're gonna have to go shopping for new clothes, but for now we have plenty of extra stuff about your size. But… you can't keep… eh, forget it. I'll be back with the clothes." He walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Jinx shrugged and sat on the bed, thinking. She reached into the front pocket of her dress and pulled out her HIVE communicator. She was about to call up the guys when the communicator rang in her hand, making her shriek in surprise. "Hello!"

It was Mammoth. "Yo, Jinx. Saw you on the news. I'd say congrats, but… no."

Jinx couldn't help smirking. "Since when do you watch the news?"

"Since our team leader goes missing. We needed to see if you got picked up by the cops or something." Mammoth cleared his throat. "So, where'd you go, anyway?"

"Get this… I'm at the Titans' Tower. They think I've converted to their side or something. I'm gonna stay here tonight and meet up with you guys sometime tomorrow."

"Oh, man." It was hard to tell if Mammoth was impressed or disappointed. "Gizmo's gonna be ticked."

As if on cue, Jinx heard a scratchy voice in the background shriek, "_Fraternizing with the enemy!_" She winced.

"He'll get over it."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Jinx turned off her communicator and shoved it under a pillow, then called shakily, "Come in." The door slid open to reveal Raven in the doorway holding a pile of clothes under one arm. She came in and dumped the pile on the bed beside Jinx. "Enjoy." She turned and began to walk out of the room.

Jinx jumped up from the bed. She had to test this mind reading thing. "Wait!"

Raven turned back, crossing her arms. "Yeah?"

Jinx stared hard at Raven, trying to project her thoughts. She wiggled her eyebrows up and down, concentrating, but all Raven did was stare. "Um… okay." She turned and left the room.

Jinx sighed and looked at the pile of clothes sitting next to her. She lifted a shirt from the pile and held it in front of her.

_All these shirts have the letter 'T' on the front… Oh, my God, these people are_ freaks

_--_

**So, we have awkwardness between Cyborg and Jinx, awkwardness between Raven and Jinx, and one-sided awkwardness between Starfire and Jinx. Woot! Next chapter: Raven vs. Jinx… fight to the death! Hah, no. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! I'm so glad everyone seems to be liking the story so far. Thanks for all the great reviews. I hope you keep reading and enjoying the story :P **

—Disorderly Conduct: Chapter Three—

Jinx woke up to the smell of an unused room. She sat up and instinctively looked to her left, where her alarm clock sat in her bedroom at school. Of course there was nothing there, not even a bedside table for anything to sit on. She groaned and, stretching, made her way to the window, where she peered outside. Judging by the light, it was probably about eight in the morning.

After washing her face and brushing her teeth in the bathroom, she padded to the kitchen, feeling more awake. She stopped dead when she turned the corner and saw Raven sitting at the table, sipping tea from a mug, and Cyborg standing near the stove.

"Oh, hey, I didn't know you guys would be here," Jinx blurted out. She had been hoping to raid the Titans' fridge in peace.

"We live here," Raven said, raising an eyebrow. Cyborg chuckled.

"I meant, up! This early." Jinx frowned and sat at the table across from Raven.

"Mmm," the other girl said disinterestedly.

Jinx waited for someone to initiate a conversation, but Raven just sat there, and Cyborg began to whistle as he cooked a huge serving of scrambled eggs. Finally, she said, "So… where is everyone?"

"Aw, Robin's around here somewhere," Cyborg answered with a shrug. "Star'll get up soon. BB might show up around noon."

"Oh." After that, silence once again descended upon the three teenagers, except for Cyborg's whistling.

Five minutes later, Robin walked into the kitchen holding the newspaper. "Oh, Jinx, you're up," he said, nodding to her. "I think you'll want to see this." He laid the paper down in front of her. Cyborg came and loomed over her, and even Raven put down her tea and leaned over to see.

_EX-CRIMINAL SAVES TITAN!_

_Pink-haired super teen joins the ranks of other Jump City heroes._

"What!" Jinx shrieked in horror. As if the article itself wasn't bad enough, somebody had pasted a huge picture of her smirking face across the front page.

Cyborg let out a low whistle. "Front page, huh?"

"How did they get my school picture?" Jinx cried. "That's… confidential HAEYP… it's _such a bad picture_!" She buried her face in her hands, praying that when she looked up, the newspaper would be gone. No such luck.

"Look on the bright side," Raven said. "They could have used a mug shot."

Jinx shot her a scathing glare. "Funny," she sneered.

Robin half smiled. "Cheer up, Jinx. Forget about the picture. If anything, you should be happy—now everyone knows you've reformed."

"Yeah, like, now you'll be able to walk around town without people running away and screaming," Cyborg suggested.

"Uh, I already walk around town, and nobody ever runs away," Jinx said miserably.

Cyborg patted her shoulder. "Have some eggs," he said. "They'll make you feel better." He put a large plateful down in front of her, effectively covering the article. "Come on, Jinx, I know you like eggs."

"Mrrf," she grumbled, but took a bite. "Delicious."

"I'm the best cook out of all of us," Cy said, puffing his chest out proudly.

Jinx couldn't resist being a little mean. "Yeah, you're pretty talented. Mechanics, cooking… stealth…"

Cyborg blushed, mumbled something she couldn't hear, and hurried back to the stove, where he busied himself with bacon. Jinx smiled to herself and ate her eggs. Cyborg _was_ a good cook, and he was pretty cool. If he hadn't completely crushed her hopes and dreams for a normal relationship back at the HIVE, she might have considered dating him.

Starfire entered the kitchen a few minutes later, singing a song she'd heard on an oldies radio station. Robin smiled at her indulgently, but Jinx saw Raven grit her teeth and wait for the song to end. When it did, Starfire started in on another one. Raven fled to her room.

Jinx jumped up. "I'll be right back," she called to the others, and ran after Raven. "Hey, wait!"

Raven turned and frowned at her. "What? I'm going to my room."

"I know you can read minds or whatever," Jinx said, crossing her arms. "So what's up?"

"I don't read minds."

"What do you think I am, stupid? We've talked about your powers at school! I took an _elective_ called 'Procedures and Strategies of the Teen Titans'!"

Raven raised her eyebrows. "The class didn't teach you much, or you'd know that I don't read minds in the way you're talking about. Just base emotions. Oh, and also, you wouldn't get your ass handed to you every time we fight."

"Well, you must know that I'm not the hero your friends seem to think I am," Jinx hissed. To her shock, Raven let out a short laugh. She had never seen Raven smile before, much less laugh. "_What_?"

"You don't pose a threat to us," Raven said. "If my friends want to be nice to you, that's their choice. I'll go along."

"I don't pose a _threat_?" Jinx's voice rose. "_I _don't pose a _threat_?"

"There's five of us and one of you," Raven said shortly. "Don't be an idiot. Your _friends_ at the HIVE haven't come calling, trying to bust you out of this 'prison'. Or do they think you're spying on us? Your goal isn't to cause problems for us. Your intentions aren't even clear to you."

With that, she turned and walked the rest of the way down the hall, where she disappeared around a corner. Jinx stood baffled, her hands balled into fists, an expression of confused anger on her face. Footsteps sounded behind her, and she turned her head to see Beast Boy, sleepy-eyed and with tousled hair, scratching his chest and staring at her.

"What happened?"

Jinx sighed. "I have no idea."

--

Lunchtime at the tower was an interesting affair. Beast Boy and Cyborg argued, as was their wont, over the day's menu, Beast Boy finally sulking and agreeing to prepare his own tofu-licious meal after Cyborg was finished using the kitchen. Starfire's helpful suggestion that they all eat an authentic Tameranian meal was vetoed, to her dismay. Jinx finally got up the courage to read the newspaper article she'd been shown at breakfast, and couldn't help laughing.

"Hey, BB, this guy thinks you're unnatural," she said, referring to the would-be assassin who was now in police custody.

"I never thought I'd have anything in common with a criminal," Raven deadpanned, having emerged from her room a short time before. Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at her.

"I'll have you know, plenty of chicks are just dying to get a piece of me!"

"Beast Boy, shall we get Jinx to guard you at all times, from these… corpse chickens?" Starfire asked, sounding alarmed.

"No!" both teens cried, Beast Boy adding in a howl, "I don't need a bodyguard!"

"Jinx, not that we don't mind you wearing the extra clothes we gave you, but you should probably go shopping for your own soon. I doubt you want to sneak into the HIVE to get your old clothes," Robin said, attempting to distract Beast Boy, who was glaring down at the table.

"Yes, Terra's fashions look quite 'grooving' on you, but I am sure you prefer your own style," Starfire added. At Cyborg's loud snort, she looked questioningly at Robin. "Is that not correct?"

"Eh…" Robin looked like he was trying not to laugh. "It's 'groovy,' Star. Um… just out of curiosity, where did you… hear that word?"

"The Land of Television."

Beast Boy leaned over and hissed in Robin's ear, "I think she means TV Land."

"That's what I said!" Starfire declared.

"Hey," Jinx said, "sorry to interrupt, but who the hell is Terra?"

Immediately a silence fell over the Titans, who looked at each other, suddenly subdued. In Raven's case, the same as she always looked. Robin finally cleared his throat. "I forgot we never fought with you during that period," he said, and gave her a short explanation.

"Psh! I remember Slade," Jinx said afterwards, feeling embarrassed. "He wasn't… the coolest guy. He hired us once."

"Oh? What for?" Robin seemed suddenly interested.

"Uh… to defeat you?" Jinx said, tapping her index fingers together. "That was when we, you know, took over your tower."

There was a moment of silence, and then Robin said, "Well, that's in the past. Let's forget about it."

Jinx nodded quickly. "Yeah, and besides, when we failed, we not only got held back at the HIVE, but he nearly decapitated us, so don't feel bad."

Again, there was a silence.

"So," Jinx said, "anyone wanna go shopping with me?"

--

In the end, Beast Boy and Starfire came with Jinx to the mall. Starfire was apparently always up for a trip to the 'mall of shopping,' and Jinx suspected Beast Boy wanted to bask in the attention of all his worried fans.

The three were in the back of one of Jinx's favorite stores. She had already tried on a few things she liked, and, because the money she was spending was the Titan's, there was no doubt in her mind she would go home empty handed. Beast Boy was acting like his normal, annoying self, but Jinx noticed that back at the tower he had been quiet ever since Terra's name came up. Shoving a few outfits into Starfire's arms, she told the other girl to try them on. Once Starfire was locked away in the dressing room, Jinx rounded on Beast Boy.

"Hey," she said, "was that Terra your girlfriend?"

Beast Boy looked shocked, then angry. He stared at her for a minute, eyes narrowed, and then all the anger seemed to seep out of him. He sighed. "Not yet. I mean… no."

"I don't know if Cyborg told you this, but when he was at the HIVE, we were pretty good friends."

"Really," Beast Boy said disinterestedly.

"Yeah, we even went to a dance together. We really liked each other." She sighed. "At least, I really liked him. I guess maybe he was just getting information out of me. I cried when he left. Um, only for a minute, of course."

"Oh."

Jinx shrugged. "I know it's not the same thing, but I thought maybe you'd feel better knowing that you're not the only one who's been… betrayed. And by the way, if you tell Cyborg what I just told you, you'll find yourself becoming very… unlucky."

Despite himself, Beast Boy laughed. "Don't worry about it. But you're right, you know."

"Right about what?" Jinx said as Starfire burst out of the dressing room, giggling, "How do I look, friends?"

"It's not the same thing," he replied quietly.

--

That night, the Titans and Jinx gathered in the living room to watch a movie and pig out. Raven went to the kitchen to make herself tea. It was Cyborg's turn to choose the movie, and he gleefully popped _Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines_ into the DVD player. There was a collective groan from the girls.

"Sorry, but if I had to sit through _The Notebook_ last week, you're gonna have to deal with this," Cyborg said, not sounding sorry at all.

"Hey," Jinx spoke up, "how many floors is this tower?"

"Ten," Cyborg replied proudly.

"And you guys only have one TV? And one bathroom? Doesn't that seem kind of… weird?"

"But we have a state of the art training center!" Robin protested.

"And an infirmary that's better than any hospital," Beast Boy added.

"And a basketball court! On the _roof_!" Cyborg sounded personally offended.

"Sorry, but even at the HIVE we had more than one bathroom," Jinx sniffed, looking away. The Titans all stared at each other, looking bewildered.

Raven walked in carrying her mug of bedtime tea. While the rest of the Titans were still occupied with staring at each other, Jinx flicked a miniature hex toward Raven with her index finger. The tiny hex it the tea mug, which crumbled, spilling tea all over Raven's outfit and the floor. "Ah..!"

Beast Boy cackled. "Nice one, Rae!"

A black tendril of power shot out and smacked Beast Boy swiftly on the back of the head. Without a word, Raven turned and marched back into the kitchen, glaring down at the broken mug in her hands and dripping tea everywhere.

"Ohoho," Jinx giggled to herself. "Feeling threatened yet?"

--

Later that night, a yawning Jinx made her way down the hall toward her temporary room. Cyborg's movie had been completely stupid, so of course he, Beast Boy and Robin had loved it. Jinx had amused herself by listening to Starfire's running commentary on this movie… and what seemed like every other film the Titans had ever watched.

Just as she was about to slide open her door, a coil of black energy shot out of nowhere and slammed Jinx into the wall. It picked her up by the ankle and then dropped her without fanfare. Jinx lay stunned, trying to figure out if anything was broken. "Ow," she whimpered.

Raven stepped around the pink haired girl, smirking. "Goodnight, Jinx."

--

**Woot. Next chapter… Jinx is contacted by the HIVE, and the Titans do their job. And any other stuff I make up as I'm writing it :D**

**I didn't mean for the Terra thing to get so involved. I had Jinx wear her old clothes in the first chapter and was maybe going to mention that they were Terra's, but it grew into a little bit more. **

**And, no, Raven and Jinx didn't have a smack down, fight-to-the-death thing. Sorry. ..**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: …Well. Hi, guys. XD Yes, I am aware that this chapter is waaaay overdue. I know it's not an excuse, but I've been swamped with midterms and work. I work in retail, so you can guess how the past few days have been for me. But I digress. I am NOT happy with this chapter, to say the least, but as of right now it's the best I could do. The next one will be better… I moved the confrontation with Jinx's HIVE buddies to the next chapter, so there's that, too. **

**I'm extremely happy with all the good reviews I've gotten, but don't be afraid to criticize (constructively, of course XD). I do have one question for everyone: Do you think I'm making Starfire act too stupid? Something I've been wondering.**

**Again, sorry for the long delay, and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Keep checking back for more!**

Disorderly Conduct: Chapter Four

The next day, Jinx camped out in the tower's main room, a painful bump on the back of her head, watching with a glazed expression as Cyborg beat Beast Boy at Gamestation time after time. Eventually Beast Boy sank so low into the couch, all Jinx could see were his purple shoes sticking out into the room.

"Booya! I am on a _roll_," Cyborg crowed after the fifth smackdown in a row.

Beast Boy tossed his controller to the floor and said indignantly, "Well, how do you expect me to beat you, anyway? Half your brain's a computer! You probably know what I'm gonna do before _I _know what I'm gonna do."

"Excuses, excuses," Cyborg said, smirking. "We going again?"

"Please, let me recover first," Beast Boy grumbled. "My hands are starting to cramp up."

Jinx couldn't help snickering at this last comment, and Beast Boy looked over at her, opening his mouth to speak, but his voice was drowned out by a loud beeping. Immediately, Cyborg and Beast Boy stood and rushed to the control room, Jinx close behind them. _This, _she thought, covering her ears, _is why I could never be a superhero._

"They're over by the bank on Third Avenue," Robin announced. "Let's go, Titans!"

"Hey, what about me?" Jinx asked before they could rush off.

Cyborg blinked. "Well, you could just chill and watch a movie here," he suggested.

"Or play a video game," Beast Boy said.

"Oh! Do the redecorating of your living space, like on the television!" Starfire piped up, apparently forgetting that Jinx was sleeping in a spare room with no furniture but a bed.

Just then, Raven halted the suggestions. She didn't say a word—she didn't have to. The look she gave Robin said it clearly enough: Leaving her alone in the tower—are you _insane_?

Robin took the hint. "On second thought, maybe you'd better come with us."

"Glorious!" cried Guess Who. "A new addition to the team!"

Raven made a snorting noise. "Not quite," she deadpanned under her breath.

Jinx rolled her eyes.

--

The Titans reached the Third Avenue Bank in less than fifteen minutes. Jinx was slightly impressed by this feat, only because she and her team were chronically late for most of their planned schemes. If they had been the superheroes, she doubted that they'd be helping the city very much. Mammoth would probably stop on the way to get something to eat; Gizmo was so irritating he'd probably be mobbed by annoyed citizens; Private HIVE and See-more got their kicks mostly by hanging back and laughing at the commotion going on around them. As for herself, she doubted she could ever have the motivation to help someone that, a: she didn't know, and b: wasn't going to be paying her.

As the Titans spread out, ready to take down their newest adversaries (two burly men wearing stockings over their faces—how cliché), Jinx sat down on a nearby bench and watched the fight go down. She couldn't help being impressed.

Robin was the kind of leader she could never be—he concentrated on… well, leading, while she concentrated mostly on keeping the boys controlled and avoiding Gizmo's random attempts to overthrow her and take over the team. They'd all been giving her crap lately over the team's attack names, which were based on the Greek alphabet. It had been a technique she'd learned at Darkway Prep, _hello_, and it hadn't failed her yet. She didn't see what the big deal was with attack names, anyway. Boys were stupid.

As she watched the Titans' fight as objectively as a girl of her nature could, Jinx began to realize why her team always failed when they went up against the Titans. Robin's team was fluid and instead of ignoring each other, they used the other team members to their highest advantage. The HIVE Five were more likely to turn and run, leaving whoever got caught behind, when things went bad. Also, they were way too cocky. She was going to have to adopt a few of Robin's techniques as soon as she returned to the HIVE.

Whenever that would be.

--

That evening, the Titans, plus Jinx, returned to the tower tired, but in good spirits. They'd gone for Chinese food after the fight, and Robin had explained, at great length, why he couldn't let Jinx join the team on such short notice.

Jinx's lip curled up. The poor guy probably thought she was heartbroken! Yawning, she walked slowly up to her room. Yeah, right, like she would ever join the Titans. They couldn't pay her enough to deal with that friggin' alarm all day and night. And never knowing when she'd have to jump out of bed, or worse, the shower, just to kick some stupid… criminal's… butt?

She paused, shaking her head, then opened the door to her room. As soon as she entered, she heard the familiar trilling noise that signaled somebody calling her on the communicator. She waited until the ringing stopped, but before she could relax, a crackling voice issued from the communicator.

"This message is for student number 5225, alias Jinx. Our records show that as of today, you have missed two days of classes. If there is no excuse for your excessive absence, severe disciplinary action will be taken. If you are currently in police custody, please press 'one' now and a team will be dispatched to your location within two nights. If you are confused or do not remember who you are, please press 'two' now and a team will be dispatched to your location immediately."

The message cut off abruptly, leaving Jinx standing in the now silent room, a sullen expression on her face. She'd really done it now—severe disciplinary action meant business.

"Crap," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed and staring down at her feet.

--

Jinx didn't get much sleep that night. She lay awake, going over everything that had happened in the last couple of days. She had no desire to stay in the tower much longer. Even though it was a pretty good deal, she felt like she'd outstayed her welcome, and plus, she could never _really_ be friends with the Titans. Not while she was still a student at the HIVE.

Which was another problem. Time was running out. If she didn't make a decision about her enrollment at the HIVE soon, there would be… well, "severe disciplinary action," whether she went back willingly or not. But _would_ she go back willingly? Sure, it had been fun during her first few years at the HIVE. She, Mammoth and Gizmo had worked their way up, from novices to experts, finally forming their own team. They'd strutted around the school as if they'd owned it. Even when they got caught committing some crime or other, they'd laughed about it. Had fun.

Lately, the HIVE was getting much more serious about its students and how they spent their time. What had once been a small-time robbery was now being doubly scrutinized, more harshly graded. Students were expected to shape up—or get out. So Jinx and her friends had dealt with two new team members and a handful of botched crimes, all of which led to jail time and then punishment back at the HIVE. There hadn't been as much fun, even as they'd been cracking bad jokes and acting as though they ruled the school.

And suddenly, she felt like asking, what was it all for, anyway? So they could help the HIVE Academy achieve the greatness it deserved? When she'd first enrolled, the answer had been a definite, if slightly cheeky, yes. So that she and her friends could become supervillians in their own right? Once upon a time, the answer to _that_ had been: Duh!

Except that they always _lost._ They lost against the Titans every single time, even after their teams were evenly matched. The HIVE never got any more powerful than it had been in the first place. Jinx never got the recognition she'd always desired. In fact, the most news time she'd ever gotten had been after she saved Beast Boy, which had pretty much ruined her reputation, anyway.

It would just go on like that until she got too old—the small-time crimes, the nights spent in cold, concrete jail cells, the sting of being beaten every time. Then where would she be?

That was the thing to think about.

Saving Beast Boy had caused more trouble for Jinx than she was beginning to think she could handle.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Hey, y'all! A quicker update this time. And a better chapter. I'm pretty happy with this one, so let me know what you think. Hey, can you believe I missed _Lightspeed_? I had to work that day, but I heard it was awesome, so I'm going to catch it next week when it's on at 6:30 AM. You better believe I wouldn't get up that early for any character other than Jinx. XD Anyway, enjoy! The next chapter will be the last!**

—Disorderly Conduct: Chapter Five— 

Jinx woke slowly the next morning. She stretched out in bed and wiggled her toes, her trademark smirk already crossing her face.

Then last night's message hit her all at once.

She reached under her pillow and pulled out her HIVE communicator, giving it a severe look. The cause of all her problems stared back at her in all its hexagonal glory. Well, at least it didn't ring.

Being bad luck sucked. Why couldn't Gizmo or Private HIVE have saved Beast Boy? Then she, at least, wouldn't be stuck in this mess. For that matter, deep thinking sucked, too. Once you started questioning the point of your life, it wasn't exactly easy to stop.

Sighing loudly, Jinx slid out of bed and padded out of the room, wishing she could have slept a little longer. Like, a year or two, maybe.

--

Jinx closed her eyes and guzzled down the last of her soda. Starfire was on her third. Raven was sipping a bottled water. The three girls were waiting for their order at Roggo's Pizza Palace. They'd been dispatched by the guys, who were apparently too lazy to venture outside of the tower on a Saturday. Jinx and her HIVE buddies had been banned from Roggo's two years ago after Jinx, angry over a mistake made on her pizza order, shot hexes at the doorframe and overhead lights. Now that she was in the company of the Titans, however, she was free to come and go as she pleased. Roggo did keep shooting her nasty looks, though.

"Order sixty-one!" called the burly man working the register. Starfire hopped up from her seat to pay, always excited to use American money—for that matter, Earth money. Once they were alone, Raven shot Jinx a sideways look, but Jinx looked down at the floor. She'd been doing it a lot that day. Her stomach was starting to hurt. She kept imagining a HIVE team beating her up and dragging her back to school, completely humiliated.

She supposed she could just go back to the HIVE on her own and say she'd been spying on the Titans.

_What did you learn_? an imaginary headmaster demanded inside her head.

_Uh, Beast Boy sleeps in late and Tuesday is movie night,_ an imaginary Jinx replied.

Yeah, right.

"Friends, it is time to return home!" Starfire said, walking over with a large pizza box in hand.

"I'll carry it," Jinx mumbled, grabbing the box and heading for the door. "Let's go."

As luck would have it, she hadn't taken five steps outside when a familiar voice called her name.

"Oh Jesus," Jinx said quietly, shoving the pizza back at Starfire.

All four remaining members of the HIVE Five were standing across the street.

"Did you guys come to take me back?" Jinx asked, furious at how reedy and scared her voice sounded.

"Actually, we were just gettin' some pizza," See-More said with a shrug.

"You're not even allowed inside," Jinx said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, like that's ever stopped us!" Gizmo said.

The HIVE Five crossed the street and Jinx saw Raven and Starfire tense up, preparing to fight if it came to that.

"C'mon, Jinx, let's go," Mammoth said, putting a massive hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, come with us now, and we won't even have to kick these scrum-buffers' butts," Gizmo crowed.

"No." Jinx found her voice. She shrugged Mammoth away. "I can't."

"What!" Gizmo's ears turned red, a sure sign he was getting peeved. "You can't—traitor—"

See-More stepped in. He gave Jinx a long look. "Come home now," he said. "Let's leave it at that."

"I told you, no," Jinx snapped.

"Why the crud not?" Gizmo yelled. Now his entire face was reddening.

"Because! That's why!"

"Because _why_?"

"_Because I said so_!" she screamed back at him.

"We can't be the HIVE Five without five frockin' people!" Gizmo screeched.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you won't have a problem finding another fifth member," Jinx said, shrugging obstinately at him.

"Traitor! Filthy witch!"

Before she realized what was happening, Gizmo had snapped up one of his mechanical claws and shot it at her. The claw cut a neat line across her shoulder. Jinx gaped at him. The other HIVE kids gaped at him. Gizmo and Jinx had had their difficulties, like any pair of friends. But it had never come to this.

"Jinx?" Raven said, eyes narrowed. "Just say the word."

Jinx shook her head, tears of fury swimming in her eyes. "No. We're going home. To the tower! Whatever! We're going." With that, she turned on her heel and stalked off down the street, Starfire hurrying after her.

Raven gave the four HIVE boys a scathing glare. "You guys got so lucky," she warned them, before following Starfire and Jinx.

--

Back at the tower, Cyborg bandaged Jinx's arm. "_Gizmo_ did this to you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "I thought you two were… well, never mind."

Jinx grumbled something unintelligible.

"Why didn't you just go with 'em, anyway?" Cyborg asked after a moment. "I mean, I thought you were all into being a bad girl." He gave her a sideways grin.

"Must be nice to know so much about everyone," Jinx snapped.

"Okay, chill." Cyborg held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "I was just asking."

Jinx sighed. "Sorry. I know you didn't mean anything. I'm just freaked."

Cyborg grinned. "Aw, well, don't be freaked. You got me to take care of you now."

Jinx smiled back at him despite the little voice in her head that kept screaming, screaming the truth.

--

Jinx's communicator trilled its alarm at the first sign of sunlight. She'd set it the night before. However annoying that thing had been, she had to admit it was pretty handy. Like a cell phone, only cooler looking.

Yawning, Jinx got dressed and packed her few belongings into her pillow case. She paused in the control room and spent a minute working on the security code. Okay, she hexed it into oblivion. Same difference. Then, with the tower doors open, she made her way to the elevator and pressed the 'down' button. She smiled. This was easy!

"Where do you think you're going?"

Jinx grit her teeth. She had a feeling that dry, deadpanned voice would haunt her wherever she went. She turned slowly and faced the dark room. "Hey, Raven."

"Running back to your HIVE cronies?" Raven said angrily.

Jinx snorted. "You wish."

"Well, then?"

The elevator doors opened.

"I'm doing what I should have done _days_ ago! I'm getting out of Jump City! For now, anyway."

Raven blinked. Of all the answers Jinx could have given, that was the one she hadn't thought of before. "Why?"

"_Hello_, the HIVE is going to drag me back there, kicking and screaming, and then do who knows what to me! I don't have much of a choice."

The elevator doors closed. Jinx jabbed the button again.

"You do have a choice, Jinx," Raven said. "Stay in the tower."

Jinx shook her head. "I'm not a hero, okay? We both know that. Thanks for the offer, though."

The elevator doors opened.

Raven opened her mouth to reply, but Jinx cut her off. "You know, when you grow up hearing that all you are is bad luck, you start thinking. 'Maybe I can make my own luck.' Maybe instead you make a mistake." She sighed. "Well, I'm too old to keep living with that mistake. It's time to grow up and get out while I still can."

"Well…" Raven sounded unsure. "Where will you go?"

The elevator doors closed. Jinx jabbed the button.

"Oh, I'll figure something out. Don't worry."

Raven's dry expression twitched briefly into what could have been a smile, then reverted back to its normal state. "Who said I was worried?"

The elevator doors opened.

"Oh, whoops." Jinx rolled her eyes. "My mistake."

"Wait," Raven said. "You can't get out. Cyborg locked down the tower—"

"Oh, that. I took care of it. You might want to have Cyborg take a look at it, by the way." Jinx gave Raven a cheeky grin and stepped into the elevator. "See ya!"

The doors closed one more time.

Raven rolled her eyes and went back to bed.

--

As Jinx walked across the bridge that connected the Titans' Tower to Jump City, she took one last look at her HIVE communicator. Well, it had been fun while it lasted.

She drop-kicked the communicator into the bay. By the time they started looking for her, she'd be out of town, heading East.


End file.
